Kelvin's Crystal
by twitchy witch
Summary: The evil wizard Kelek has returned, and Eric's friends are nowhere to be found.  The Realm is definitely in trouble.
1. Chapter 1

_And since I'm digging up old stories that I love, I thought I'd include my other favorite of the time, Kelvin's Crystal. I'm very proud of this one, and it kills me to just leave it as it is without tinkering with it any more. Again, this story originally appeared years ago under my previous pen name, Zakiyah._

**Kelvin's Crystal**

The light of the four moons trickled through the leaves of the forest, now and then finding a way through to shine down on a lone figure in bright armor and shining shield, trudging though the darkness in a dispirited sort of way. It was unusual to see anyone traversing such a dismal and dangerous place. It was even more unusual to see this particular figure walking alone, without five fiercer friends or even a cowardly unicorn to accompany him.

Eric bravely strode down the torn path left by many giant wolf feet and claws. He encountered the evil, black, jagged, forbidding castle (many would have hesitated at this point, but not Eric the Cavalier!). He strolled in and faced the evil Wizard Kelek-

At this point, Eric's little fantasy always broke down. It always ended up with him exiting at high velocity, screaming most of the way- then getting devoured greedily and needlessly graphically by hungry wolves.

He sighed. "So what do I do when I get there? Maybe I can look for the weapons?" he thought aloud, though there was nobody to hear him. "I've always wanted to try out that bow…"

A small ferret bounded fearlessly along beside him, occasionally nipping at his ankles, though the other critters (a dun hare, a little chipmunk, a chattering squirrel) were too skittish to approach him very closely. A gray sparrow, fluttering overhead, chirped impatiently. As he'd done all night, Eric continued talking to them as if they understood (that being the only thing keeping him from going mad with loneliness).

"Oh, all right," he conceded. "Maybe I should try to find the others first-you think that's a better idea?"

The bird sang a little trill.

"OK. I'll look for the others first. Then we'll all go together-but what's the good of that if we don't have the weapons? I hate this. I wish Hank were here. He'd think of something clever, like sending you guys in first. What do you think of that? Ya wanna go scout out a castle for me?"

The squirrel, dark of pelt with bright beady eyes, flashed daringly from one swaying, unsteady perch to another in the branches above him. It chattered at him from a low tree branch, as if to tell him he was out of his skull.

"I'll take that as a big fat no…" he trailed off. He missed having someone who would give him a snippy comeback. "That's funny," he said out loud, "I didn't think I'd miss Diana so much. I mean, she's always snapping at me, but y'know? I miss it. She was kinda funny. I hope she's ok. I hope they're all OK." His stomach growled. "Man. I wish Presto were here, too. I don't care what he brought out of his hat, I'm so hungry I'd even eat duct tape! Maybe I can find some berries or something."

He trudged along miserably, wishing he'd never left the others (whatever fix they were in, at least he wouldn't be alone!), wishing he knew he was going the right way, wishing that Dungeonmaster would appear again to guide him further. He would have taken back the previous day in an instant, had it been possible.

* * *

_It was cold. It was wet. But the worst thing about the rain was Eric's constant, ceaseless complaining. _

_"I'm tired! C'mon, Hank, can't we take a break? We've been slogging along for hours, and there's no sign of the little creep." _

_Hank had answered this complaint a dozen times over, and did not to deign to answer it again. _

_"I'm starving!" was Eric's next theme. _

_None of them had eaten since the previous evening, and now they were all reminded of that fact. Stomachs began growling and tempers began fraying. Bobby, walking behind Eric, mimed clubbing the obnoxious Cavalier over the head, and Sheila let out a giggle. _

_"What?" Eric whirled with exasperation to face the two. "You know somethin' I don't?" _

_"No, Eric, but if you don't shut yer big yap about food, I'm gonna make you eat this club!" retorted Bobby. _

_"Tall talk there, Shorty!" Eric replied, and Bobby lost his grin. _

_"Leave him alone, Eric," Sheila snapped. "Let's just keep moving, OK?"_

_I'm not going anywhere until I get something to eat. Presto, can't you pull something edible out of that stupid hat?" _

_Presto rolled his eyes. "If it will get you be quiet, I'll try anything." He pulled off his sodden hat and wrung it out. "Abra-ca...aw, I can't think of a dumb rhyme, just give me something to make Eric shut up!" _

_The wrinkled hat glowed, and spit out a roll of duct tape. There was laughter all around. _

_"Very funny, Presto," Eric growled, and everyone laughed harder. If there was one thing Eric hated, it was being laughed at. "All right, you creeps! I'm outa here! You can go slogging through this crud looking for the Mighty Munchkin of Many Riddles if you want, but I'm going to find a place with some food! And a fire! And a ROOF!" he shouted. And he turned and began slogging off through the mud. _

_"Eric, where are you going?" called Diana._

_"I don't care! Anwyhere's better'n here!" He didn't bother turning around, making for a field dotted with soggy sheep, obviously reasoning the sheep farm- or perhaps a town- must be nearby. _

_The rest of the gang, their own nerves stretched to the breaking point, were very tempted to let him go without even a hint of protest. After a brief and significant pause, in which Eric's anger soared- were they seriously going to just let him lose himself for good?- Hank ran to catch up to him. _

_"Look...here's what we have left over from Presto's last magic show. Why don't you get us all some food- we'll wait for you by those trees." _

_**We all need a break from you,**__ was what Eric read in Hank's eyes. Eric took the few coins wordlessly and stomped away._


	2. Chapter 2

Eric's spirits, not usually high to begin with, had reached an all-time low when he finally came upon Kelek's fortress, huge and malevolent by the red glow of dawn.

It was as awful as he remembered it-a huge, gnarled, spiky thing that sprang from the center of a huge, gnarled, spiky thornfield. Eric stopped and stared at it for a long, long moment, memories of his previous visit still vivid in his mind. He'd been encased in crystal at one point, his most horrifying Realm experience to date (and that included the whole 'Bogbeast Incident'). The utter helplessness of being totally awake and aware, but rendered immobile and impotent- he just couldn't face that again! Not to mention, if the wizard's spells didn't get him, the wolves would. Kelek's wolves were of the voracious, oversized variety, and Eric had no doubt that Kelek's first move upon being freed from his underground prison had been to collect his little cubs from Unicorn Valley and restore them to full viciousness. Last time, only Venger's timely arrival had saved them- and he had no way to contact Venger himself. There would be no rescue if he screwed this up.

He tried to step forward, but his feet wouldn't move. _Come on, Eric, ol' buddy…they're counting on you._

But Eric stayed put, eyes closed, sickly fear on his face, his breath coming quicker as he tried to talk himself out of doing the sensible thing- namely, turning around and hightailing it to safety.

_What safety? DM said Kelek's going to take over the Realm if he's not stopped. He'll find me eventually no matter where I run. I have to get this over with, now, before he gets even more powerful…_

_But I don't have anything, except my shield. How the hell am I supposed to take on a powerful wizard who already has our weapons and isn't a dummy like Venger? I can't do it. I don't have the courage…_

_

* * *

_

_"Courage is not measured by the size of your weapon or the size of your foe," Dungeonmaster said gravely. "It is measured by the size of your heart, when you face your fears, even weaponless and alone." _

_Eric winced. He'd returned from his freaky experience in the town to find his friends M.I.A., and DM was telling him he had to take on Kelek alone? Who did he think he was fooling? "Weaponless? PLEASE tell me I can keep the shield..." He found to his chagrin that he was shaking. "DM...look...I...I don't think I can do it. Not alone!" _

_The little wizard smiled again, and Eric felt his heart lurch with something like sadness. Had his own father ever bestowed on him a look so…paternal? "You are not alone. And you are more than you will let yourself become." He beckoned, and Eric knelt, all pretence at cockiness gone now. Dungeonmaster took his shield from him and, instead of enhancing it or enchanting it, simply buffed the inside with the sleeve of his robe. Then he held it up before Eric's face, and Eric caught a sight of his reflection on its now shining inner surface. _

_"Your shield is strong, but your inner self is stronger. Trust yourself, Eric. And trust your friends." _

_Eric took the shield with both hands and regarded his face for a moment, with something resembling humility, finding within it a hint of determination at DM's words. __**If DM believes in me...**__ Then he suddenly felt this whole thing was a little hokey, and his face burned__**. I'll bet BOBBY didn't need a stupid pep talk when HE set out to save us from the Prison of Agony... **__"All right, all right, I'll do it already!" he exclaimed, embarrassed and annoyed. "But waitaminute! Where are the others? And how do I know where to go to find Kelek, anyway?" _

_"Your way will find you," came Dungeonmaster's voice, behind the shield. "You have only to follow it."_

_"Deee-emmmm!" he whined in exasperation. "How about something a little more solid than that? Like, __**'you must follow the wolf tracks while the moon is full**__' or something?" _

_DM's voice sounded delighted. "That will do very nicely for a start, Cavalier." _

_But when Eric looked over the shield to give him an irritated look, Dungeonmaster was already gone._


	3. Chapter 3

Eric lifted his shield and regarded his face again in the mirrored inner surface, seeing nothing but anxiety written all over it. The sight began to frustrate him, and the frustration turned into self-reproach, and the self-reproach finally began morphing into something resembling determination. _I WILL do this. If I'd been there when Kelek found them, maybe they wouldn't have been captured. Maybe none of this would have happened._

He crouched, thrust his shield forward, and began the crackling journey through the thorns. The glowing magic shield was as effective as ever in shoving aside the branches and keeping most of the brambles from tearing his cloak, but he couldn't help feeling he was making far too much noise. But there was nothing for it- there _was_ no other path through the brambles, unless you were Kelek.

As he pushed and shoved his way past the brambles, he noted with disappointment that his various little forest friends were no longer hopping/bouncing/flying behind him. Apparently they had taken one look at Kelek's fortress and decided to hightail it back to the forest.

"They're smarter than I am," he chuckled, feeling lonelier than ever. "Look at me...now I'm talking to myself! It's funny- I know what the others would say...and I can almost hear Uni's obnoxious bleat-"

He stopped short. He DID hear Uni's bleating. It was coming from the castle.

And she sounded terrified.

Eric felt the blood draining from his face. Not that he liked the little twerp, he reminded himself, but it tore his heart to hear her so frightened. He felt himself filling with new resolve. He would find his friends and make that public menace pay for what he'd done!

He then realized he DIDN'T hear the voices of his friends.

* * *

_The town he'd found (Neece, the sign read) was deserted. There were no signs of conflict, just a total lack of villagers. Sheep, cows, and pigs ran freely through the streets, loudly grunting/lowing/bleating distress at the lack of normal order. Giant pawprints stamped the mud of the streets. Several of the animals were limping on injured legs, or scattering blood from flank wounds, as if savaged by huge dogs. Or wolves. The randomness of the violence disturbed Eric, as did the total lack of any human presence. Fires still burned in grates, bread burned in ovens, the forge was cooling, and meals lay, half-eaten, on the tables. Thoroughly spooked, but still hungry, Eric entered a bakery, snatched a sack and filled it with various fruit, bread loaves, and pastries, and tossed the coins Hank had given him on the counter in recompense. _

_He called, looked, searchedÂ…but apart from the panicked animals, there was nothing to see. Outside of town, however, he caught a whiff of something sharp and burnt, foul with a hint of ozone. __**Black magic**__, said that little Dungeonmasterly bit of his brain that still worked, sometimes. __**Oh, heck, not good!**__ replied the more sensible rest of him. He found the spot quickly: obviously, something huge had burst from the ground, scattering dirt, trees, and boulders the size of small cars in a wide radius, leaving a deep crater- and a hole._

_He spent a moment wondering what had come out of the hole. Where it lead. What it meant. If, perhaps, the missing villagers were down there._

_Then he got the heck out of there._

_It was mid evening when he spotted the smoke, coming from the patch of trees near where he'd thrown his tantrum earlier that day. "That's gotta be their campfire," he said. _

_He was actually rather anxious to get back, as the whole ghost town incident had really unnerved him. He was beginning to feel like he was the last person alive. Much as he'd wanted to be alone earlier, now all he wanted was to be back with his well-armed companions. "I hope they've gotten over whatever they were mad at," he said. "I'll just have to forgive and forget. Then we can go find out what happened..." _

_He grinned at that last thought. __**Since when did YOU become a do-gooder, Eric? **__Obviously their do-gooderness was finally rubbing off on him…_

_"Guys! I'm back, and I got food!" He held up the sack, as if expecting accolades. No sound came. "C'mon, you're not still mad, are you?" A terrible thought struck him- what if they HAD ditched him? Filled with a sudden panic, he sprinted toward the column of smoke. "Geez, it wasn't THAT big a deal-"_

_Then he found the remains of the camp. _

_He stopped short and gazed around in horror. There were scuffles and scorchmarks and a few blankets that were ripped to shreds. Huge deep footprints, perhaps made by wolves, marred the ground, mingled with many kid-sized footprints (and a few little cloven hoofprints). He saw shreds of fur, perhaps from a boy's fur boot, or an acrobat's halter. He saw felled trees and burnt spots in the foliage, perhaps from a flaming arrow or two. He even saw a pile of plastic green soldiers and a few multi-colored, many-sided dice- no doubt Presto's last defense._

_His heart pounding with dread, Eric looked for blood...but he saw no signs of it. _

_"G-guys?" His voice cracked the first time, so he cleared his throat and called again. "Hank? Bobby? Presto? Anyone?" _

_There was nothing but utter silence all around, and the faint crackling of the neglected campfire. _

_Eric shook his head, refusing to believe it. "I'm all alone?" he managed finally._


	4. Chapter 4

His friends weren't screaming for help, just Uni. _That doesn't mean anything_, he thought frantically. _Maybe Kelek froze them into crystals again. That wasn't so bad! Or maybe they're locked in his dungeon...at least Uni's all right. There's no way she'd have the strength to make THAT much noise, if Kelek had removed her horn again. And if Kelek kept Uni alive, he must have kept the others alive, too... _

_...right?_

_DM said I wasn't alone…surely he wasn't just saying that so I'd go alone. He wouldn't lie to me if they were…dead…would he? _

Pleased with his reasoning, Eric felt almost optimistic. After all, the typical villains in the Realm like nothing more than to see their enemies groveling before them and calling them "master!"

With a sudden snapping, Eric broke through the last of the brambles and fell flat on his face. Quickly he ducked back into the bushes and tried to think. He hoped his extremely muddy condition would be enough camouflage as he crouched among the gnarled thorns. All his instincts told him stay there (or better yet, run away), but Uni's pitiful, terrified cries kept him from turning back.

Glancing left and right, Eric made a beeline toward the fortress. He slipped into the shadows just as two wolves padded leisurely around a corner, prowling for intruders. They paused, and bent suspicious noses to the ground. His heart sank- he only had seconds before they sniffed him out….

Suddenly the two canine guards turned and growled, bounding over to the hole in the thorns he'd emerged from, howling and barking at a cheeky squirrel and a gutsy rabbit. The two managed to avoid the snapping jaws as they led the wolves away down Eric's broken trail, teasing the wolves into a frenzy. Eric stared in frank astonishment, shook his head in bewilderment at his good fortune, and silently wished them luck.

* * *

_After Dungeonmaster left, Eric sat for a while morosely by the remains of the fire. He had no appetite now for the food he'd pilfered, and various small creatures were making short work of the food in the sack he'd tossed into the woods in anger. __**So, it's either look for Kelek and his wolves in the dark….or spend the night alone. In the dark. Did I mention that I'm afraid of the dark?**__ Both choices seemed hideously wrong. But DM had hinted his initial guess was right. Follow the wolf-tracks. OK. He could do that. He picked up his shining shield and placed it with finality on his arm. Then he tossed his muddy cape over his shoulder with the last bit of dignity he possessed. "OK. I am off to save the Realm!" he announced grandly, as if the announcement would make it so. _

_At his words, several pairs of beady eyes regarded the Cavalier. A dun hare hopped away from the sack, then looked over its shoulder, coyly. A squirrel leapt up into the trees and stared down at him, expectantly. A small gray sparrow hopped about, fluttering its wings and fluffing its feathers, chirping at him. A chipmunk and a ferret continued gnawing at a loaf of bread, but their eyes were upon him. Other animals had stopped to look at him, too, their sudden stillness nearly as unnerving as the empty town. "Well…?" he asked self-consciously. "What are you all looking at? SCRAM!"_

_At his shout, the forest creatures scattered like panicked leaves, leaving him alone. _

_Eric shook his head. "Sheesh. Look at me. Covered in mud and yelling at animals. I'm cracking up. I knew it would happen some day…"_

_As he trudged through the darkness, following the wolfprints by the light of the full moons, he began to imagine rustling sounds, tiny feet pattering around him, something quick and dark flitting through the branches above him. He threw rocks at the noises, and heard scuffling as his followers avoided them. Too afraid to yell at them anymore, he stomped his feet now and then, hoping to frighten them away. One of his missiles hit its mark, and he heard a little squeal of pain, followed by a torrent of chatting, unintelligible abuse. He immediately felt terrible. He'd given them food, after all. They were following him, expecting more. They were just dumb animals, after all…_

_A few hours later, he was talking to them. There were many of them, at one point, but as dawn approached they began melting back into the forest, leaving only a sparrow, a hare, a chipmunk, a squirrel, and a ferret. And even these hung back when Eric contemplated Kelek's fortress, watching him as he battled his fears. When Eric finally bent and thrust his way into the thorns, they remained shivering at the boundaries of the brambles, unwilling, as yet, to follow._


	5. Chapter 5

He crept as quietly as he could manage along the wall, until he reached the front of the castle, where he found another surprise.

Parked out front was a black horse. A very familiar black horse with flaming red eyes, nostrils, and hooves...and an empty saddle.

Eric felt both a twinge of both fear and relief. So Venger was already here. _Good- maybe Venger's already dealt with Kelek. I can deal with Venger…_

But there were no sounds of a battle between two powerful wizards, no sounds of mass destruction by two powerful wizards with lousy aim. There was only the incessant bleating of Uni, and the snarling and yipping of wolves. If there had been a battle, it was already over.

Venger's Nightmare pawed the dirt and looked extremely bored. A profusion of paw-marks made Eric deduce that the Nightmare had been there awhile. It hadn't noticed him yet, and appeared to be having a conversation (if you could call it that) with another familiar, equally unwelcome ghoul: Shadowdemon.

Eric turned to regard the huge doors. They were tightly shut. The last time, they'd been wide open. Unlike Venger, Kelek was no dummy. He'd meant for them to break in last time, as part of his plan. This time they looked tall and forbidding, and quite locked. "Great," Eric muttered again. "How am I supposed to get inside? Sprout wings?"

As if in answer, a ferret jumped onto his cape and clawed its way up to his shoulders. Eric flinched with surprise, but managed to shush his yelp into a squeak. It then leapt off his head and scrambled up the gargoyle faces carved on either side of the doors. It was closely followed by a chipmunk, which also managed the steep ascent, and the little bird. Together, the three disappeared into a window.

Eric was flabbergasted. _What's going on? You're not going to find any decent chow in THERE, fellas…_But at least they'd shown him a way in.

He was about to try the ascent himself, when he heard a dark rasping voice hiss, "Cavalier!"

Shadowdemon slapped a hand over Eric's mouth to stifle his shout of surprise, and regarded him curiously. "What are you doing here, boy?" he demanded.

Eric grabbed the dark hand and shoved it away, shuddering in disgust. "I could ask you the same question," he snapped back. "So where's your boss?"

"The Master went in to deal with Kelek hours ago...and never came out," the shadow replied, a bit reluctantly.

"So now Kelek's stronger than Venger? Right!" he snorted, "That guy's cracked! Venger made mincemeat of him last time!" He grinned at Shadowdemon, who made no comment. "I'll bet he's in there right now, playing with his new toys and figuring out how to take out Tiamat. So why are you lurking around out here, then? I thought you were Venger's number one ghoul!"

Shadowdemon narrowed his eyes. "I serve the strongest, Young One," he snarled.

Eric's low opinion of the skulking demon was further justified. "I get it. So now you're waiting to see how it all turns out. I wonder if Venger knows how deep your undying loyalty runs. I guess I shouldn't count on you for any help, right?"

Shadowdemon continued glaring at him. "You are a fool."

Eric grinned cockily again, looking far braver than he felt. He didn't trust a word the demon said, ever, but this time seemed different. "You've been hanging out with that one-horned creep too long. That's his line! And you're gonna be in HOT water when he finds out you didn't help him!"

"If you succeed," the shadow replied coldly. "But without your friends and their weapons, Cavalier, you have no chance."

"Once I free my friends, we'll have no problem," Eric snapped, with a confidence he didn't feel. "Or have you forgotten all the times we beat Venger after he stole the weapons himself? All I have to do is find where Kelek is keeping them-"

"Kelek does not hold your friends here, Cavalier," the shadow said smugly. "In fact, he boasts that he took care of them yesterday eve. With his wolves."

Eric fell against the wall. Of all the possible scenarios, this was one he hadn't considered. "They're not in there?" he repeated dumbly.

"No, Cavalier. So…where are your boasts now, little one? Will you still face Kelek alone?"

"I don't believe you, you lying creep!" Eric snapped furiously. "They have to be in there! They're alive, I know it!"

Shadowdemon shrugged. If he'd had a mouth, he'd have been grinning ear-to-ear. "I eagerly await the outcome of this battle, Cavalier," he said smugly. "Farewell." And with that, he vanished into his fellow shadows of the fortress and was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Eric stood there, his heart pounding with dread. Everything told him that he should turn back and let DM deal with this_. Where are the others? I checked for blood, checked for anything, but there was no sign of them! They wouldn't abandon me_ (Eric was certain of that-annoying as they were, they'd given up the chance to return home in favor of remaining in the Realm with him!) _But if Kelek didn't capture them, where are they?_

Shadowdemon had to be lying. If his friends had survived the battle without being taken prisoner, they would be here with him now. There was just no other explanation left-they had to be inside the fortress!

Which meant that he had to get in, too. Problem.

Eric grasped the gargoyle heads and attempted the climb up to the window. The stone promptly crumbled beneath his boots, dumping him in a heap. Cursing silently, he turned to think of another way in-and his eyes alighted on the horse, who was gazing at him with what looked like amusement. And he had the first of what would be a series of insane ideas.

"C'mere," he whispered. "Here, horsy, horsy, horsy!"

The Nightmare tossed its head with a disdainful whinny at being called a _horse_, appeared to think it over, then ambled over lazily.

"Look," he said reasonably, hoping his unexpected talent with small forest creatures would work a larger one, "Your boss and my friends are stuck inside. I need you to fly me up to that window. Will you do it?"

The horse regarded him with an expression of utter disgust. It bared razor-sharp, unhorselike teeth at Eric, malevolent flaming eyes boring holes in Eric's resolve, but Eric steeled himself not to flinch- even when it blew a puff of smoke at him that singed his arm. _It's just a horse...just meaner, that's all...you've ridden wilder beasts before..._

"C'mon," he cajoled, "aren't you even curious what happened? What if he's dead, wouldn't that mean you're free?"

The black stallion's ears cocked forward, even as its eyes narrowed, and it regarded the castle with such a look of fury that Eric was surprised the mortar didn't crumble then and there. Then it snorted smoke again and tossed its head, indicating Eric should mount.

Wondering if he needed his head examined, Eric swung himself up into Venger's saddle and felt a sudden heady rush of exhilaration._ I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm riding VENGER'S HORSE! Man, I wish the gang could see me now... _The saddle was very hot, the horse's flanks and mane even hotter, as if fires burned within. He recalled the stories that peasants had told him, that Venger flew a demon that ate human flesh...

He forced himself to think of this steed as any other horse, and twined his fingers into its superheated mane. "All right. Now let's fly!" The horse turned its head to regard him skeptically. "Don't give me that look-I'll have you know I've ridden horses all my life! Don't you worry about ME falling off!"

The horse keened its weird whinny-scream, crouched, and launched into the air. And Eric closed his eyes and prayed the horse wouldn't fly him straight to Hell, as the rest of the stories said it would.


	7. Chapter 7

It was an exhilarating, if brief, ride. Eric felt something darker than magic gather around him in a hot rush, and again caught the foul scent of burnt magic and ozone, as they rose into the air and circled Kelek's fortress. Eric tried to recall his previous visit, how the layout of the castle worked, and chose a window. "There- that one!"

The Nightmare easily broke the indicated window with a single blow of a sharp sparking hoof, and landed on the huge alcove, with a large triangular window overlooking the main hall. Once this hall had housed a great multi-handed statue, meant to hold the dozens of unicorn horns that Kelek had filched under Venger's nose. Now, a throne and two cages (suspended with ropes from the ceiling) sat on the dais where the statue had stood. One cage held a very unhappy, frantically bleating unicorn. Huge wolves were jumping, snarling, and nipping at the cage as she tried to keep her legs from dangling into the range of their slavering mouths. The wizard had (in true villain fashion) rigged the rope holding her cage, so that it would gradually fray and, at some point, break. Uni cried out in fear as another strand parted with a twang.

Kelek's attention was on the other cage, however, which held a very scruffy, ugly red and dingy gray parrot, which was squawking and flapping its wings and shouting "KELEK! AWWRKK! I'M MASTER OF THE REALM!" at the top of its little lungs. Kelek was chuckling over his angry-looking pet, and appeared to be trying to feed the parrot a cracker.

The horse whuffed a little at the sight below, then unceremoniously dumped Eric onto his butt by dissolving into thin air. Even if he hadn't shrieked with surprise, the loud clang of chain mail gave him away when he landed. Kelek looked up, straight at him.

"Welcome, boy!" Kelek announced, his tone anything but welcoming. "Have you come to share the fate of your companions? I must thank you for saving me the trouble of hunting you down to retrieve the last weapon!"

"You are just as nutty as ever!" Eric shouted back, hoping he'd have time to dodge whatever spell Kelek flung at him. He prepared to raise his shield, thinking (not for the first time) that it would have been very nice if DM could have given him SOME kind of offensive weapon... "Where are they?"

Kelek pointed to the weapons, glowing faintly in the corner of the room. "But you shall not retrieve them, Cavalier! Even your shield cannot withstand their combined might!"

"Not the weapons, you bald lunatic! I meant my friends! What have you done with them?"

Kelek howled with laughter. "They cannot save you now! I set my wolves upon them after I took my revenge! And even if they did survive, they will be of little use to you!"

Eric felt the world come crashing down around him. _Shadowdemon was right!_ Despair gave a reckless edge to his voice. "What have you done with them, you maniac?" he shouted fiercely.

But Kelek just laughed harder. "Take him!" he ordered the several wolves around him, and they dashed out of the room below. Moments later they were converging all around him on his balcony, leaving him little choice but to leap down to the floor below. Which he did quickly, catching hold of a chandelier more out of panic than any sense of style.

"AIIIEEEEE!"

He swung across the room and careened into the wall opposite, sliding gracelessly down it to land in a crumpled heap. "Owwwwww..."

Kelek's mad laughter redoubled as he watched this. "This will be only too easy!" he cried as the thwarted wolves headed back towards the stairs again. Eric could only watch in dread as he tried to untangle himself before the wolves came howling back in. He finally scrambled to his feet, expecting at any moment to be pounced on and devoured, as the sound of the approaching wolves grew louder and meaner. Whirling about, intending to meet his doom face on, he instead watched as a portcullis slammed down a few feet away from the open doorway with a crash. A moment later it was blocked by snarling wolves, nipping futilely at the bars!

"Huh?" He glanced back at Kelek, who was looking both furious and stupefied.

"It's YOU!" Kelek shouted, in a voice of utter disbelief, and Eric followed his glance to see a squirrel bounding away from the chewed ropes that had, apparently, held up the gate. He raised his staff, aiming not at Eric but at the dark furry animal that had leaped onto a torch holder, chattering tauntingly. A little gray bird fluttered up beside it, heedless of the flames of the torch. "You won't escape THIS time!"

_Definitely nuts,_ Eric thought, and used the moment of distraction to charge blindly at Kelek. Kelek let out a squawk as Eric rammed his stomach with his shoulder, and they both went rolling in a confused tangle of robes and armor.

"You... (_gasp_)...will pay... (_pant_)...for this... (_wheeze_)...BOY!" Kelek shrieked as Eric wrestled with him, trying to pry the magic staff from the wizard's grip. But Kelek was much stronger than Eric had thought, and flung him away. Eric righted himself, crouching, and saw the wizard aiming the staff at him now. And his shield was lying several feet away. He'd never make it...


	8. Chapter 8

The little gray sparrow dropped a flaming splinter onto Kelek's bald head!

"Aiiieeeeggghh!" Kelek's fireball went awry, singing Eric's hair as he dove for his shield. He brought it up in time to deflect the next fireball, though it clobbered his shield with amazing force.

_This guy IS stronger than Venger now...I wonder what he did to ol' Horn Head? Maybe he's floating down to the underworld in a bubble this moment..._ Eric barely had time for thought as another bolt exploded against his shield, shoving him back yet again. At this rate he'd be toast if he dared let down his guard.

Uni, still trapped in her cage, was still bleating in terror, her cries redoubled as another strand of the cage parted. Eric couldn't help feeling sorry for the little nuisance, even if the wolves no longer threatened her. In the other cage, the parrot was also screeching bloody murder, flapping about and screaming, "MAKE HIM PAY! I'M MASTER OF THE REALM! AWWRRAAAWWWKKK! KELEK, AWRAK!" Between their racket and the howling wolves, Kelek's cursing and the chattering/twittering of various forest creatures, the din was getting deafening.

_Aw, shaddup! _Eric thought as he dodged another bolt of fire. _Kelek's bad enough without having to listen to his ugly pet…_

Kelek's aim was just as bad as Venger's, and in a moment Eric saw why- his little friends were attacking with tooth and claw. Not that rabbit teeth and bird claws could do a lot of damage, but the distraction was enough to keep Kelek constantly off guard. "You'll never..." Kelek paused in his cursing to fling a startled chipmunk across the room. Squeaking, legs splayed and wheeling, the tiny creature managed to grab the robes binding Uni's cage. "...leave this fortress..." Now he screeched as a squirrel bit his hand hard and was also flung across the room. "...ALIVE! ANY of you!"

"AWWRAK! DIE DIE DIE! KELEK! HOLDS THE CRYSTAL! AWWRAK!"

All of this happening within the space of a breath, Eric's eyes were drawn to the crystal amulet about the wizard's neck. _Holds the crystal...? Is that the source of his power? _Now that he thought about it, Uni's bleats were also sounding a little more coherent...Was she also telling him to get the crystal? _Now how am I going to do that? How can __**I**__ possibly stop this guy, if all I've got is a shield?_

"Arrrgh!" Kelek was aiming another blast at him, and the way his staff was glowing, it wasn't going to be pretty...his face was a livid mask of fury, his eyes narrowed to slits. "YOU DIE NOW!"

But Eric was quick with a shield, and deflected the lighting bolt, deftly sending it careening back at Kelek. It slammed into him full force, sending him flying against the opposite wall. Eric was also sent sprawling backwards, his shield clattering out of reach once more.

The sudden brief silence was broken by a loud twang of a snapping rope, and Uni's cage smashed into the floor. Uni, however, was no longer in it- the chipmunk had gnawed the door open, not a moment too soon. Uni ran over to Eric's side as he tried to clear his head, cowering behind him as Kelek also sat up, eyes livid and robes askew.

Eric paused to pat her reassuringly, and she stared at him with frightened eyes. "Come on, kid, we've got to grab that jewel, right?" Uni nodded back at him empathetically. "And that staff, too, before he-"

Kelek apparently had the same thoughts, and was patting his robes frantically. "Where is it? Where is the Crystal?" So distraught was he over his loss that he failed to notice the dun hare hopping awkwardly away with his staff. "Mine! My Crystal! WHERE IS IT? NOOO!"

"AWWRAKKK! STOLEN CRYSTAL, HAHAHAHA! KELEK!" screeched the ugly parrot mockingly.

Eric looked between the staff and the shield, trying to decide which to go for first. His instincts told him shield, but DM's words returned to him, _"...even weaponless and alone."_ He made a dive for Kelek's staff instead- and suddenly found himself unable to move. It was his worst fear come true-Kelek had encased him in crystal again.

"Foolish boy..." Kelek was approaching him, his face a mask of fury and triumph. "Think you that I need a staff to wield my magic? I am the most powerful wizard in the Realm! Soon ALL will call me MASTER! And YOU...you shall suffer the fate of your friends. What shall it be...? What would be a fitting fate for a fine cavalier?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully, as Eric grimaced at him in helpless rage and growing fear. He could see Uni from his vantage point, frozen in place beside him like a pretty ice sculpture. "Once I recover my crystal..."

Eric's eyes widened as he saw the ferret bouncing along behind Kelek's back, carrying the precious amulet in its mouth. _Clever little thief,_ he thought. _If only I could get free of this crystal..._ But try as he might, his will was not strong enough to break the spell.

There was a sudden sparkle beside him, and Kelek's eyes went wide with surprise and fury. Uni had vanished- teleported free of her prison! She sparkled back into existence silently behind Kelek, grabbing the Crystal from the ferret before the wizard knew she was there.

At the sound of her little cloven hoofbeats, Kelek whirled about-and got a face full of angry gray sparrow. "Aak! Ow! Come back, you little fool! You'll never-no, wait! Not him-NOOOOO!"

Uni, with a bleat of triumph, had flung Kelek's crystal at the parrot's cage.


	9. Chapter 9

Eric, still frozen, watched in befuddled astonishment as a blinding flash of light lit the room, accompanied by crackling sparks. The parrot's raspy screeching became a raspy roaring. The parrot's body twisted and grew. The huge form of Venger coalesced, jammed within the confines of the bars. The cage was far too small for his huge frame, forcing his arms and legs to dangle helplessly a moment, and the rope far too weak to hold his weight. It promptly snapped and dumped Venger to the floor in a tangle of ropes and iron. Eric hadn't seen Venger so incredibly furious (or embarrassed) since the Dragon's Graveyard incident, and was glad that for once, HE was not on the receiving end of that glare.

_Venger...? The parrot was VENGER?_ Had Eric not been frozen in place, he would have been howling with laughter despite his predicament. _Just as well I can't move...Venger looks AWFULLY pissed off..._.

Kelek's face had gone the color of paste as he stopped dead and stared in horror. While he was thus distracted, Uni managed to break Eric's crystal cage by jabbing it with her horn. Together they stumbled back to the far corner, as far away from Venger and Kelek and the upcoming battle as they could get. They were joined by the five exhausted forest critters. Eric stared at them a moment, as it finally dawned on him what had befallen his friends.

Venger held the blue gem in his blue hand almost lovingly. "Kelvin's Crystal of Transmogrification," he said, his voice dripping with triumph and avarice. "However did you come by it, wizard?"

Kelek, deprived of staff and secret weapon, stood quaking a moment before he could answer. "Th-the Drughar..."

Eric predicted Venger's response long before Venger spoke the words: "The Drughar..._what?_"

Kelek's voice was barely audible or coherent in its fury. "...the Drughar…master..."

Eric, still unnoticed, had made it to the corner where the rest of the weapons were piled in a glowing heap. Apparently Kelek hadn't found a use for them yet, but Eric certainly had one. He picked up Hank's bow, feeling the thrum of magic as it began to hum quietly, awaiting his will to create the bowstring and flaming arrows. _Oh, boy, I've ALWAYS wanted to try this..._

Venger smirked, the closest he ever came to laughing. "I must thank you, Kelek, for retrieving such a valuable item for me...I will certainly find a fitting reward for you."

Eric crouched down to speak very quietly to his friends, counting on their sharpened hearing. "Good thinking, Uni...but Venger's not going to want to give up that crystal, and he's going to want to steal the weapons next. He'll probably try to turn me into a bug or something, so we've got to get that crystal away from him first..." He sounded a lot more confident than he felt, especially since the various rodents did nothing to indicate that they'd understood him. "We've got to move fast, after he zaps Kelek!"

He returned his attention to the drama unfolding before him. Kelek stood there a moment longer, torn between attack and surrender, before his control broke and he hurled himself bodily at Venger, hands glowing as they prepared some sort of attack. Venger's eyes narrowed and a beam of light shot out from the crystal in his hands, catching Kelek dead on. Kelek's scream of fury was grotesquely twisted and rose higher and higher in pitch as his body shrank...leaving only a teeny, tiny little squeaking shrew where Kelek had been.

"NOW!" Eric shouted, and launched a volley of glowing arrows at Venger. Using Hank's bow was an incredibly empowering feeling, the magic zinging through his fingers and body as he willed the arrows to strike their target, and he found himself charging forward, continuing the assault. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Venger staggered back several steps. He did NOT drop the Kelvin's Crystal, as Eric had hoped he would, and recovered enough to launch an attack of his own.

Eric, belatedly realizing he had no shield, lost the bow too as he rolled out of the way of a flaming ball of fire in panic, cursing at his incompetence. As luck would have it, however, his hand struck his previously lost weapon.

"You will pay for that, Cavalier!" Venger shouted in fury, as he raised the Crystal once more, looming above him like The Great Bat of Doom, "I will crush you underfoot!"

Eric raised his shield and caught a glimpse of his face in the polished inner surface, looking utterly terrified. But the glimpse of his own face recalled a memory, and a wild idea occurred to him. DM's actions ALWAYS had a double meaning, and this time was no exception. As the magical blue beam crackled down at him, he twisted his shield, holding the mirrored side out. The glowing shield caught it, stored it for a moment, then spit it back out again with gusto. The deflected beam struck Venger full force, and his roar of rage dwindled and crackled as his body shrank and contorted. Without another mind to guide the transformation, Venger became what Eric thought he most resembled- a plump, fat bat, which quickly lost itself among the shadows of the rafters.

Kelvin's Crystal of Transmogrification, no longer glowing, fell to the floor with a tiny _plink!_

And, for a brief moment, there was silence.


	10. Chapter 10

It was over. The danger was over. He'd won. He'd WON!

Eric picked it Kelvin's Crystal of Transmogrification, breathing heavily and feeling shaky with relief. _I wonder who Kelvin was...? And how,_ he thought, regarding the little critters around him, _am I going to get everyone back to normal again?_

As if on cue, the crystal began to glow in his hands. Perhaps, if he imagined the proper shape of each kid...but which one's which? He looked to Uni questioningly. She pointed her horn at the chipmunk first, stamping her feet with excitement. "Mbobby, Mbobby!"

_Please don't let me screw this up..._

Blue light crackled and spit and a few blinding moments later, Bobby stood beside them, grinning ear to ear. "YOU DID IT!" Eric grinned too, until Bobby threw his arms around Uni's neck. "YOU DID IT, GIRL! WAY TO GO!"

"AHEM!" Eric cleared his throat, and Bobby burst into boyish giggles, pointing at him playfully.

"What? WHAT?"

"Venger was going to turn you into a TOAD!" He gasped.

"Huh? How can you tell?"

"LOOK!" Bobby held up the shield so Eric could see the green warts on his own nose. "Guess you weren't quick enough, haaaa-haaaa!"

It was suddenly as if the entire day had never happened, and Eric felt his hackles rising again. "Now listen, you ungrateful little-what was that?"

They both turned in time to see a fat bat swoop down out of the rafters and snap up a squeaking shrew. There were several agonizingly nasty moments of shrieking and crunching up in the shadows, then silence. The two boys looked at each other, thoroughly grossed out. "Eewww!" said Bobby, "Was that...was that Kelek?"

"I think it was..." Eric said, panic in his voice, as an ominous rumbling grew and shook the ground around them. The panic was echoed in the squeaks and peeps and chatters from their transmogrified friends, who huddled around Eric's feet in terror.

"Kelek's castle is sinking! What are we gonna do? Uni can't teleport us out this time!" Bobby gauged the distance to the only doorway, which was still blocked by a portcullis and panic-stricken wolves. "Eric, think of something!"

"Get under my shield!" Eric shouted, yanking Bobby's arm and pulling him close as the world came crashing down around them.

Silence.

Pitch blackness all around, but for the faint glow of the magic shield, all that stood between them and the tons of rubble above them.

"E-eric?" came Bobby's small voice. "How are w-we gonna get out of this?"

"Meh?" echoed Uni.

"Give me a minute to think..." Eric's arm was starting to grow tired. _We got this far...surely DM wouldn't let us die here, he'll rescue us, right?_ "Do you have your club?"

"No...it's buried somewhere..." Bobby sounded very scared. "With the rest of the weapons...we'll never get through all those rocks..."

Eric suddenly thought of something that could. "Hey kid...how would you like to be a dragon for a little while?"

"_**ALLLL-RIIIGHT!**_"

Eric switched positions, supporting the shield with his back, feeling as if the weight of the world rested now on his shoulders. His legs were beginning to tremble now, sweat beading on his brow. He held the Crystal with both hands, aiming at the little boy before him. "Just remember to watch where you step, squirt!"


	11. Chapter 11

Moments later, a huge scaly golden head burst out of the rocks as if hatching from the rubble, clawing its way free. Bellowing in exhilaration, the huge beast picked boulder after boulder off of the mountain, digging and clawing its way to the little trapped zoo hidden within. Bobby lifted Eric out, by grabbing his cape, just as the last of Eric's strength gave out. Slumped by a thorn bush, Eric watched with amusement as Bobby picked and sifted through the boulders like a dog digging up a bone, plucking their weapons free of the rubble. This task done, the dragon that was Bobby launched triumphantly into the air, fluting a loud clarion call of joy.

"That's just great, Bobby...you want to quit clowning around and give me a hand, here?" Eric rolled his eyes at the dragon's ariel antics as Uni bleated with laughter. "Aaah, never mind, I can guess who's who, I'll bet..." He looked at the remaining critters, eyes alighting on the dark-furred squirrel. "Diana, right? Nobody else could leap through trees like that..." He grinned at the rabbit. "If you're not Presto, I'll eat your hat." He pointed at the sneaky little ferret. "Sheila, right?" Lastly, the valiant sparrow. "Hank, you've GOT to trade weapons with me for a few days..."

A few moments later, the kids were restored to their normal forms, and Eric enjoyed his reunion.

"You were magnificent, Eric!" Sheila cried, hugging him. "That was the bravest thing IÂ've ever seen! I knew you had it in you!"

Eric blushed red, for Sheila was regarding him with that worshipful look she usually saved exclusively for Hank. "Uhh—"

Eric was about to melt when Diana tackled him next, mussing his hair in the manner that he used to hate. "I'm sorry I keep snapping at you," she said. "That was wonderful!"

Eric tried to snap something back, and found himself daring to muss her hair in return. "I never thought I'd miss it so much," he said.

Hank clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Way to go, buddy," he said proudly. "Maybe you ought to be leader for awhile—I couldn't have done better myself!"

Eric was about to burst under the praise. It wasn't even that the gang was finally showing him respect and appreciation. It was that he finally _deserved_ it that made him stand up straight and smile a huge, contented smile. For the first time in his life, Eric was truly happy. And to top it off, DM was suddenly there, regarding him with a warm, proud smile that his own father had never turned his direction. "Well done, Cavalier!" he said heartily, as Eric handed him Kelvin's crystal.

"Thanks, though you might have given me more of a hint. You know, _prison without walls_ or something like that…?" He found that it didn't matter right at the moment, he couldn't be angry with DM as long as he was wearing that look of pride.

A moment later he had changed his mind, for DM resumed his post as the most infuriating person in their acquaintance by pointing the crystal at a nearby tree and firing it off. Venger fell out of it, landing in an ungraceful heap, before the kids could even register their protests. And protest they most certainly did, a moment later. "Aww! Why didn't you just leave him a bat?" "He tried to turn Eric into a toad!" "He'll just try to steal the weapons again!" and so on.

Venger, however, did not look the least bit interested in stealing their weapons as he regained his feet. He dusted off his robes, threw them a disdainful look, and drew himself up to his full imposing height. DM regarded him with his infuriating smile, but Venger was wise enough not to comment. Instead, he turned and issued a summons to his two wayward servants, Shadowdemon and the Nightmare. They arrived instantly, Shadowdemon seeping out of a tangle of thornbushes and Nightmare coalescing out of a fiery mist. Both looked extremely guilty and humble, and Eric got the idea that the day's humiliations suffered by Venger would now be visited threefold on his disloyal lackeys. After their dubious "help," Eric had little sympathy to give them. _Better you than us_, he thought.

"KNEEL before your master!" Venger thundered at them, hands glowing with rage, and they did so (a bit awkwardly, as one had four legs and the other none). "We shall discuss the terms of your punishment later! In the meantime…" He turned a baleful eye on Eric. "Your assistance was…valuable," he growled.

"You're welcome," Eric replied cockily. "I'll let you know when I need a favor."

"Fool! You forget your subsequent interference! I owe you nothing!" Venger apparently took the remark seriously, which Eric found amusing. "However, I will not trouble you again today. I have _business_ to deal with," (here he gave his cowering minions a very threatening look,) "and I…ate something that does not agree with me."

He mounted his horse and flew off, to a chorus of "Eeeewww!" and "Gross!"

Eric looked back at Dungeonmaster, who was looking entirely unconcerned. "Do not let Kelek's fate trouble you, Cavalier. I fear he was quite maddened by his imprisonment. He was a very dangerous foe, and I fear there was no other way to end his insanity or the danger he posed to the Realm."

"Uh, yeah, right," Eric replied. He wasn't exactly troubled- in fact, it was delightful to think that Kelek would never bother them again. Uni apparently thought so too, for she made an unladylike snort and stamped the ground. "Well, uh, what happens now?"

"I must restore the villagers of Neece to their proper forms," said Dungeonmaster gravely, "for Kelek tested his powers on the first innocents he could find, following his emergence from the Underdark. But fear not, the damage he left behind can be repaired. In the meantime, I believe I have already mentioned that there is a Duke of Darkness, threatening the land of…."

And so they sallied forth into another adventure, as was their way. Basking in his glory, it was hours before the usually vain Eric remembered the green warts still speckling his nose, but by then Dungeonmaster was long gone.


End file.
